Village Schools of the Bible

Genesis: A Devotional Study
by Max Frazier, Jr

We are drawing near the end of our study in those chapters in Genesis that focus upon the life of Abraham. In our last study, we traveled to Mount Moriah with Isaac and Abraham and there witnessed one of the truly remarkable stories in the Old Testament. We observed there a portrait of Calvary. Now we tackle Genesis 23 which records the death of Sarah.

Genesis 23

Key Words: "burial"; "death of Sarah"; "Ephron the Hittite"; "cave of Machpelah"

Key Verse: Verse 4 states that Abraham owned nothing, yet had been promised everything. Verse 20 tells us that what he finally possessed was a cemetery.

Purpose Statement: This chapter shares Sarah's death and Abraham's plans for her burial.

Outline: The Death and Burial of Sarah

I. Death of Sarah (vs. 1-2)
II. Abraham negotiates for a burial place for Sarah (vs. 3-20)

Questions to Probe: I wonder how many years Abraham and Sarah had been married?

Thoughts to Ponder: Abraham, the one to whom God had promised all this land, really owned none of it. Although it was all his by promise, he was currently a stranger there. So, when Sarah died, Abraham had no tomb in which to bury her. He, who was the lord of the land by promise, was forced to go to his neighbors and request the purchase of a burial site. In fact the only ground Abraham really owned in all of the land promised to him was a cemetery. But perhaps that too was fitting as the writer to the Hebrews shared centuries later that Abraham was really searching for a better country. The entrance to that better country comes through a cemetery, not only for Abraham but for each of us. Are our eyes focused on that better country? Or do we seek to change our status from stranger to resident here? I think Abraham was focused properly.

Study Notes:
1. Isaac was 37 when his mother died. Sarah had lived long enough to see her son grow into a fine young man. God had been good to her.
2. It is amazing to read in the Bible of all that transpired at the gates of a city. Verse 10 states that it was there Abraham negotiated with Ephron the Hittite the purchase price of the cave of Machpelah. The concept of the town square in many towns in America might be representative of the gates of the city today with the courthouse in the center of the square and the businesses clustered around the square.

THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK: The more a man takes the needs of others on his own heart, the more he must take his own heart to God.

Genesis 22 Return to Table of Contents Genesis 24-25